Managing the Stakeholders - Smoothening The Hurdles

No major project or initiative can be undertaken in a closed box by an individual and there would always be a number of people associated with it. A simple activity to go on a trip too may involve many associated entities including the booking agent, taxi drivers, hotels, tour guide, your parents (if they are financing or you need to take their go ahead) etc. When you have complex projects with large scope and high stakes managing your stakeholders gains much more importance. Key players or stakeholders may expect or even be entitled to exercise involvement with the activities of the project. As they may eventually judge the result they obviously should have a role in formulating the criteria for project success. It is important to timely acknowledge the stakeholder’s needs during project start-up. But as projects often include contradictory interest, compromises must be made to reach general consensus. Communication and the exchange of opinions, interests and expectations are of the utmost importance. In practice some issues rise when trying to facilitate this process; which stakeholders need to be contacted and which level of involvement is desirable.

So an analysis at the early process stage is needed before interests become entrenched or feelings of exclusion rise. It is critical that project managers undertake a systematic approach at the onset of a project to ascertain who the potential stakeholders are and what role could be assigned to each of them. First and foremost in managing something is to identify what needs to be managed. Hence it is important that before initiating a project implementation, it is critical to identify the stakeholders during the planning stages itself. Post identification, project managers should reach out to them and initiate discussions. This would on one hand give them a notification about intended project and on other provide an opportunity to seek their inputs. This opportunity should be leveraged to identify their views about the objectives of the project and tentative implementation plan. Their opinion and experiences should be invited to make the project plan robust enough to handle eventualities. Also it would help to ask them to be a part of the project and play a crucial role towards its success. Happy, informed, positive stakeholders will make it a lot easier to deliver the project successfully. Once discussions are completed, stakeholder capabilities should be assessed and roles should be assigned for each of the stakeholder willing to be involved with the project. Relevant authority should be given to the stakeholders that would enable them to undertake the assigned roles.

Stakeholder management is not a one-time activity but a continuous process that should be undertaken throughout the project duration. It is responsibility of the project managers to keep in touch with the stakeholders and keep a tab on their attitudes. It is important to keep a close eye on people as their opinions will swing between positive and negative over the life of a project. Managers should conduct regular touch points with stakeholders and take their views on the project progress. Key to stakeholder management is to try to gain their trust by keeping them updated with the project progress and take their views into consideration.

One of the key stakeholders for any project is those who are at helm of affairs whose involvement is critical for project success. Whether they are your parents who would provide the go-ahead for the trip or your boss who will provide the driving force for a client engagement – their buy in and support is foundation to project implementation. Project management is unlikely to succeed unless there is any visible support and commitment by executive management. When employees and the project team see the interest, support and commitment of the organization’s senior management, they will have a sharper focus. This support and commitment can be described in two subtopics; project sponsorship and life-cycle management. The role of the sponsor is to manage interference that exist for the project manager besides continuously remind project team that only performance at the highest standards of excellence are acceptable. It is important that company goals, objectives and values be well understood by all members of the project team throughout the life-cycle of the project. Ongoing and positive executive involvement, in a leadership capacity will reflect executive management’s commitment to project management.

A set of important stakeholders often ignored during project planning are the vendors and service providers. The project manager and the procurement department are responsible for managing relationships with vendors. They should ensure timely delivery and high quality of products and communicate with vendors by arranging weekly meetings with each vendor, in order to discuss current progress of each ordered product. This is core of the vendor management. Vendor management is a set of activities that allow ensuring that the chosen vendors provide the procurement items according to the delivery schedule and that appropriate levels of quality are maintained.

Managing stakeholders effectively would help remove the hurdles in project implementation which could otherwise become a threat to the success. Project managers need to understand the importance of this aspect and incorporate it into their planning to ensure that such irritants are smoothed at the project onset itself. I have seen in my projects that if all those who could have any stake in it are involved early on, they are more willing to contribute during the execution and help in solving an unanticipated problem which may come up at later stages.

Hope my experiences help some of the project manager in their engagements. Do pour in if you have experiences supporting or contradicting the views on the article. Drop in a word if you would like to discuss these further in detail.

Publisher: Unknown - 06:44

Labor - Key Ingredient of Manufacturing - Make in India : Part 2

Skilled and cost-effective manpower is an essential component of success in the manufacturing industry as this is a labor intensive sector. Shortage of the same can prevent India from gaining a competitive edge in global markets. Measures to build a strong pool of workers equipped to meet the diverse needs of the upcoming sectors and new technologies in manufacturing must be taken. Huge labor pool which is skilled in technical skills relevant to the industry and is available in plenty is a baseline requirement for success of Make in India campaign. Development of human capital is a dynamic process and can have a gestation period of up to a generation. This development should also be supported by apt regulatory framework, which balances the need to protecting the rights of working class with the flexibility required for the businesses. Here are few particular recommendations that should be looked at for providing the right human resource environment for those ready to set up factories in India.

Forecasting Human Resource Requirement
The first step must be to forecast the road that manufacturing will take. Which sectors would it expand into and which technologies would be important in the future. The question to ask would be how India can leverage its strengths and resources to achieve a competitive edge in these areas. Moreover, what weaknesses need to be dealt with and what kind of skills will be required. An estimate of the number of jobs to be created and the skill requirement for each job profile can help direct the course of a human development strategy.

Some indicators of the future of manufacturing needs are available. The manufacturing sector is estimated to have a US$ 180-billion investment opportunity over the next five years, according to the Investment Commission of India. Meanwhile, the Indian manufacturing sector is estimated to command a market capitalization of $520 billion by 2014-15. Sectors that could experience tremendous growth include machine tools, automobile components, pharmaceuticals and the textile sector, which alone have potential to create between nine and 10 million new jobs over the next four years.

To effectively channelize resources, the future of the manufacturing industry must be looked into. The right kind of training must be imparted to match employment needs of the industry and the availability of skilled workforce. However the primary requirement for this is to first quantify the requirements of this workforce. This would require extensive market research, study of trends in the manufacturing sector and consultation with industry experts.

Creating Skill Base
Industrial training programs, introduction of vocational training and other courses at Polytechnics and development of a large number of educational and training institutions should be prioritized. Moreover, to further develop a competitive edge in manufacture of cheap consumer goods such as alarm clocks, decorative items, etc. – currently the niche of Chinese manufacturing – would require the availability of a large amount of cheap labor with basic school education and some level of skills. A push towards expanding literacy at all levels along with basic vocational training would be of immense help. Public-private initiatives in this direction would help speed up the process.

Bettering Labor Law Regime
One of the key challenges for manufacturers in India has been the complex labor laws of the country. In India, labor laws are highly fragmented and inconsistent. There are separate schedules for different workers and different definitions of the same. Thus, they create confusion and there is scope for misinterpretation etc. There are a number of laws that are a source of contention between employers and trade unions. As compared to other countries, anti- market labor laws have significantly increased the cost of production, making indigenous businesses uncompetitive in global context.

Though the role of trade unions is to protect labor rights and be the face of the worker to the management, often it has misused its position to black mail owners and hinder the smooth functioning of business. The most potent weapon it uses it is strikes and lockouts. Though this trend has decreased over the years, still, the annual loss of worker days is second highest in the world. The rigid labor laws make entry/exiting a business difficult. To fire employees, you need approval of labor commission. Also, in order to change job profile there are many regulatory hurdles to pass.

Thus, any action to be taken must consider all stakeholders- employers, workers, trade unions and MNC’s. The government should first of all unify all definitions that are present in court literature to form a uniform labor code. This will eliminate the possibility of confusion and incorrect interpretation. The government should relax the provisions of Chapter V of Industrial Disputes Act by allowing up to 100 people outside its purview from present number of 100. Also, the government should modify Industrial Employment Act to ease job transfers and fixed term employment. The government should consider amending the Contract Labour Act, for example excluding certain industries e.g. textiles industry, provided they give employment for a fixed tenure of 150 days as well as other benefits like health, safety etc.

The government should work towards the formation of a social benefit schemes for both organized and unorganized sector. This will eliminate the possibility of exploitation in the unorganized sector. Moreover, the benefits available in the organized sector should be managed properly to benefit larger employee base.

Labor is critical resource for any manufacturing activity and these are some of the areas that the government should consider at the earliest to ensure that the human resource availability and related regulatory framework are conducive to setting up industry. These are important in promoting manufacturing sector in India. There is one more article in this series that takes up the infrastructural requirements to support the Make in India initiative. Any comments and feedback to the views are welcome, as always.

This is second article in this series. Please visit the first article at Lion's Step Forward - Make in India : Part 1. The third article would soon be available and referenced here.

Publisher: Unknown - 09:13

Wettest Land on Earth - Capital of Rains - Cherrapunji

After covering the attractions in Shillong, we continued our journey towards Cherrapunji – The Wettest Place on Earth for a long time. It was an absolutely marvelous weather when we set on road towards the next destination after a lovely time spent in Shillong. Another day in the company of gang with the day ahead full of masti had us excited. For sake of completeness it would be best if you read the first part of this excursion – the Shillong Visit at Scotland of the East amidst Abode of Clouds - Shillong.

Shillong to Cherrapunji is about 60 kilometers in distance and the hilly terrain takes it around 1 and a half hour time in general. However, it was going to be different case with us who seemed to be determined on the saying that journey is more important than destination. We took our own sweet time through the distance having frequent breaks for enjoying the picturesque scenery all around. Hills and valleys with clouds hovering across was simply a breathtaking view and was something which was only a luxury for us from the plains. Singing, talking, photographing and enjoying the entire stretch of the journey, we finally reached Cherrapunji after about two and a half hour drive and it was already post lunch by the time we crossed the peripheries of the town. We realized we had limited time in hand as driver had already warned of the requirements to leave by evening, we got onto out work – taking most out of the city in the time we had.

Cherrapunji's has a place in the Guinness Book of Records for being a place with heaviest rainfalls across the world. Situated at about 4500 feet above sea level, this home of Khasi clan is a year round tourist destination. The climate is pleasant for most part of the year and visitors can enjoy the ridges and crests amidst the beauty of nature at any point of time. There is no month of the year when the place does not get rains and hence can truly be called a land of one season – monsoon! With average rainfall over 11,000 mm annually, this small hill-town of Meghalaya can thus definitely be called the “Capital of Rains” in the world. We may know it as Cherrapunji, though it was not always that the town had its present name. Earlier the place was called Sohra, which was pronounced "Churra" by the British and was an in-formal capital for the Khasi tribe. Gradually the place got its current name which actually means “land of oranges”.

While entering the town the first glimpse of the beauty of nature was offered to us at our first stop - Mawkdok Dympep Valley. The lush green slopes with occasional covering of clouds moving from one hill to other right infront of eyes presented a marvelous view. Ridges of the hills and then deep gorges in far sight were a pleasure to eyes and had it not been a tight schedule we would have spent a lot of time with that glance in our eyes. Forest department has provided a view point for the site which definitely does justice to the beauty on offer. Post this we covered Dain-Thlen Falls which derive their name from a Thlen or a gigantic snake that dwelt in a nearby cave.

Our next stop was Mawsmai Cave, one of the few caves in the area that have been fully lighted and developed as tourist spots. Limestone caves with stalactites & stalagmites, these are called Krem Pubon in local language. This 150 m long natural formation starts with wide and spacious entrance but later only provides low stooping passages for tourists but that does not deter anyone from even experiencing the seeming impassable parts. The wetness of the region does not leave you even inside these structures where one could often find their feet submerged in water or droplets pouring from above. Towards the end of the cave, there is a lot of greenery and the exit is practically amidst bushes. After these caves we covered a couple of other waterfalls and then proceeded to our last destination of the day. Before that though we also visited the place which is technically what makes this town the wettest place – Mawsmai Falls. Along with falls lesser in height but no less alluring, the spectacular, cascading 1,035-ft-high Mawsmai Falls-the are fourth highest in India. 

Finally after about half an hour of travelling we entered the boundaries of the Eco Park. This is an ecological reserve established by the Meghalaya government and hosts a number of indigenous and hybrid orchids. However, it is not that this which makes the place interesting. The Eco Park offers beautiful view of distant Sylhet Plains of neighboring Bangladesh. Moreover, the place provided close view of a serene waterfall reaching a deep gorge and this was what made us decide to spend good time there. The view of water flowing through the steep slope disappearing from eyes before hitting the deep gorge was nothing less than breathtaking. The cool breeze carrying the droplets from this water made the entire area heavenly and the clouds around were simply a bonus for us. Tired after the long two days we stayed laying there on the rocks, chatting about the wonderful weekend we were about to end and enjoyed the site to its fullest. None of us wanted to leave the place when someone from us reminded that we still had the return journey to make and everyone got up hesitantly. We took one last view of the perfect setup on earth and bid the region a good-bye. We began our return journey to Guwahati with each one promising themselves to return to the region in future with more time in hand and plan to go deeper into the place.

Planning a trip to Cherrapunji and want a guide in planning? Have you had a trip with friends recently? Have views on this post or blog in general? Shoot in your views, appreciation and criticism in the comments !!

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Publisher: Unknown - 08:15

In Hindsight - NaMoMania : Mirage or Reality ?

Most candidates credit their losses or wins in 2014 elections to Modi Wave. What exactly is this wave and how did it start? Read on to know all about NaMoMania - the Modi Magic!!

There are over 1600 political parties in India out of which 47 are state level and 6 are national parties. One of them last week won an election after securing 282 seats on its own and 336 along with its allies. This for a country which has for last 30 years, seen a coalition government. A government depending on regional parties carrying enough weight to earn a veto power over the central government. However we as a nation spoke – enough is enough. Today we need a stable, strong and decisive government. Now we do not know if the government would be strong or decisive, but the electorate cannot be blamed now. All they could give to the government was stability and that they did.

However, one would need to wonder how did this party called the Bhartiya Janta Party rose up to such a marvelous performance. Many do credit Mr. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister designate today, with this success and there is no doubt he did have a very big role in driving this election to BJP’s doors. He came out as a unifying figure for the cadre, a symbol of development, a proponent of progressiveness and a ray of hope for the country. All this combined with the dismal performance of the incumbent Congress government and lack of an alternative gave boost to his image and made masses incline towards believing in the dreams and aspirations he showed. When I look behind last few months, here are some of the observations which clearly seem to be the foundation of his campaign.

Hard Work – tirelessly and tersely

There is no substitute of hard work. This guy has tirelessly stretched himself to the core to reach out to the electorate. 440 election campaign rallies covering over 3 lakh kilometers across the breadth and length of the country is not an easy task. Compare it to the second largest such number which is something around 150 by “Yuvraaj” of the party with the incumbent government. Working continuously over long days and short nights (mostly limited to 3-4 hours) is one of the critical reasons how the guy took his message directly to masses. All this was done while ensuring that he is in the state capital every night to attend to the business as a Chief Minister.

Foresight – know well before it happens

It was in 2002 when the opposition started the campaign to put up the communal tag on this guy. It was definitely an unfortunate incident and NaMo did fail a part of the society by not being able to do enough. He tried to clear the air that it was not an intentional act but the situation that led to what happened. However within a couple of years, he realized that he could not fight the communal battle and probably would have to live with the tag. It was then that he decided to go the development way. When the sole point of opposition was his communal image, he took on the taking Gujarat on path of development as he foresaw that this was the only plank which could take him further and could dampen the tag stamped on him.

Perception – the mirage

The guy is simply a master of creating perception. Though I agree that he has done a lot of great work in Gujarat but in today’s world just doing good work is not enough. Taking that good work to the masses is an art and this guy perfected that art. When the opposition was oblivious of his intentions or was busy spending energy in “communalizing” his image, he started selling the image of Gujarat – a progressive state with industry friendly environment. This caught the fancy of business and masses equally. No one even considered raising question on his claims for quite long and by the time they woke up, it was actually very late. People of this country by then had accepted the image of Gujarat as NaMo showed it to them and story of development of Gujarat was written on stone. It was this perception he built his entire image on and en-cashed it during the national elections. While the opposition had to work hard to challenge his claims which by now were considered a gospel’s truth, the guy was busy selling aspirations of India becoming Gujarat. And for this use of short catchy one liners was definitely interesting when “Abki Baar Modi Sarkar” and “Achche din aane wale hain” caught fancy of young and old alike and became words of use in everyday life.

Oratory Skills – how you say it matters more than how you do it

Just being clear on what you want to do and say is not enough. You need to be able to articulate it well enough that the people understand your vision, relate to it and are ready to rely on it. In all his speeches, interviews and interactions, NaMo showcased clarity of thought and will to convert thoughts in action. He may not have told people his implementation roadmap or list of activities but he highlighted the end goals. And the way he told that was perhaps convincing enough. No person opposing him was as great an orator as he was. Leader of the main party opposing him was pathetic at best and when the electorate compared their choices, they were not left with much of an option.

Feedback - seek and imbibe

Trusting yourself to be the best is good for self-confidence but one must realize that being perfect is only a notion. NaMo realized this and hence trusted his core research team to give him real-time and fruitful feedback. While he may have rejected many of the propositions, he definitely picked up the ones that were meaningful. Post every speech, he would take a view on which areas were strong and which needed work. Areas on improvement were identified and sorted out well before he was ready for his next speech which in best cases was only couple of hours away.  When a survey revealed that people loved Modi but did not relate him to the election symbol of BJP, he made every BJP spokesperson use the badge of symbol –lotus - on their shirts. He went in to the extent of flouting election rules to ensure media could use his name and lotus in the same sentence.

Opportunity - accept it on first knock

The guy did display a quality of grasping each opportunity to strengthen the mirage that his is. Manishankar Aiyer’s jibe of his background as “Chaiwala” – a tea seller – boomeranged badly. NaMo built up an entire channel of dialogue with public on that jibe when he started his famous “chai pe charcha” – talks over tea. Every session of that charcha reminded people of humble background of their PM candidate and took him a step forward. Priyanka Gandhi would have never thought in her dreams that her comments on way of his politics would somehow be twisted to extent where they would have a caste based context. If we look a bit backward, Sonia Gandhi’s “maut ke saudagar” – trader of death – remark was enough to create an entire state election campaign around it.

Technology – embrace with open arms

While there was a 40 year old Yuvraaj of a political dynasty put forward as a youth leader - one who was allegedly Harvard educated and son of a PM who spearheaded introduction of technology – who could not use the social media to interact with public. On the other hand was a 63 year old, graduate through correspondence and weak in English, used the media with such a vigor that he seemed more progressive than the former. Be it using audio/video conferences to deal with district administrations, using technology for e-governance or 3-d conferences for conducting extended rallies, the guy leveraged every option available to take his mission forward.

Tactical – not averse to what helps

While most of the aura around this guy is built around his progressiveness, he never forgets what worked in classical politics. He uses the issue of Ram Temple in areas where it helps, sends Amit Shah to probably polarize electorates to certain extent and exploits confusion around his caste to the best of his ability. He is not averse to responding to his opposition in the language they accuse him and still comes out of it gracefully. He is ready to agitate our minds with aggressive stance on Pakistan and Bangladesh while extending an olive branch to other neighbors. He was pro-active in coordination with the RSS to mobilize their cadre to support his cause. He joined hands with the right partners to balance the caste equations and to carry his message of Hinduism. He was ready to pull in leaders with somewhat grey background if they could deliver what mattered – seats. In short he used every trick in the book to ensure that the classical style of politics is not forgotten and best of it is carried forward.

It was all this that worked for NaMo towards creating a persona which was larger than the picture itself. BJP as a party was left behind and people came out to vote for one person – Narendra Modi. It was not the local candidates that people voted for. Many of those candidates were not known and may not be known today. It was this single man who asked for 300 lotuses and was given 336 instead. Yes the seats of NDA were swept on a large extent because of this guy. It was he because of whom people in states of Assam, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and many other states voted seats for BJP where the party had negligible presence. The general elections of 2014 and how they were fought are definitely going to be things to study about and many case studies would take birth on how to handle a marketing campaign. There are lessons for owners of brands to learn on how they can take their appeal to masses.

Most of these views are based on the media coverage and discussions with my friends and colleagues. So, if you disagree or think I have missed any points or have areas of improvement to offer, the comments box below is what you are looking for. If you agree, appreciation is always welcome. 

Picture References:

Modi Magic Cartoon - http://www.southasiamail.com/news.php?id=114982

Modi MBA picture - http://insideiim.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/modi-marketing.png

Publisher: Unknown - 23:14

Kathmandu – The Spiritual Hub : Enchanting Nepal Part 1

It had been quite some time since we had visited a place purely for a purpose of tourist interest. This thought coincided with my project ending and my bro Amit’s upcoming birthday. This was what seeded the plan which finally decided a trip to Nepal – our friendliest of neighbors. We booked our package with Makemytrip and flights seats on Spicejet. 

The trip started at home on 29th of March 2014 with celebration of Amit’s birthday - cake cutting and an early lunch of Chola Bhaturas. Post this we left home at noon for a 3:50 flight as it was bros first trip on air and wanted him to see the magnificent terminal of Delhi Airport T3 and also to get a seat on left window to see the mighty Himalayas on the way – so asked for the same with request for it to be in front to give a view uninterrupted by the wings. Got the boarding pass and then proceeded to the immigration where a departure entry was stamped on the passports. The guy on the desk was curious about my Guwahati origins from the address on the passport and on some queries he really was astonished to hear that there was an IIT in Guwahati, and though I am not new to it but after 20 years of its existence, I would hope it gained some name for itself. Once into the departure areas we roamed to almost each nook and corner of the airport and had some light (second) lunch at the food court. This was followed by some window shopping and start of our activities to preserve the memoirs of the visit – picture taking. We reached the departure gate right at the time and boarded the plane after a short wait.

Meanwhile here is a video providing a glimpse into the city developed from our photographs of the trip.

After a flight of about 50 minutes which involved some light snacks and a cup of tea, we were served a view of mighty Himalayas all clad in white snow. While this had us excited we had no idea yet about how much more and better of this view we were going to have for ourselves for the rest of the visit. It was also about then that we began our descent towards Kathmandu and as the plane loses altitude we have a great view of the city to which we are headed to and of the great valleys amidst this mountain country. Finally the plane touched the runaway of Tribhuvan International Airport and we disembarked at 17:20 exactly. On first look the airport seemed to be located amidst the beauty of the nation surrounded by hills and with evening breeze it felt welcoming.

Soon we boarded the bus and were taken to the arrival bay. We filled in the arrival forms which they had in English for foreigners and in Nepalese for locals and then proceeded to the customs desk. It was a smooth walkthrough flashing the Indian Passport. It is seldom that you feel respected for being Indian and today was one of those days. As we moved out to the baggage collection area, the scene was similar to any of the airports in a non-metropolitan city in India. However an interesting thing to note was that as you come out of the airport building, there are people who actually cross-check the luggage you take out with the tags on your boarding pass to ensure that you pick your own luggage. Once we were out of the airport there were counters of Nepal Telecom and NCell which sold simcards for the respective telecom service providers in Nepal. The absolute emptiness of the Nepal Telecom’s stall which is a government entity tempted us to move to the NCell counter which is only private service provider in the country. The crowd there made us believe that they had better network and though I don’t have points for comparison, in absolute terms the network was pretty good and kept us connected throughout the trip. We got a simcard (they had a micros-sim available at an extra price of 40 NPR) and decked it up with a voice and data plan. In all we payed 450 NPR (Sim – 150, Voice Recharge – 150, Data Pack for 40 MBs – 150; call charges were 3.55 NPR to India, .5 NPR local and some free minutes to NCell network). We were now looking for some currency exchange but the counter at airport kind of laughed us off and other shops expressed inability and so we deferred that for later. Now in hindsight we know that it is absolutely unnecessary and Indian currency is accepted everywhere with a conversion ratio of 1:1.6 standard across the country. Just be sure to note that they call it IC and at times quote rates in IC so be sure of the currency you are negotiating prices in. We finally moved out of the airport and found a person from our Hotel waiting with a name card and we were taken to our accommodation – Hotel Indreni. The bell boy takes our luggage as we check in after filing out the required forms and enter the allotted room – Room 914. Entering the room was a pleasant surprise as I always had apprehensions with the Makemytrip service in terms of accommodation. It was a nicely set up room with two individual fairly large sized beds in a room which itself was decently sized. The room set up was modern and well facilitated with LED television, small refrigerator, hot tea kettle and contemporary ambience. The only dampener was that the wifi was only available in the lobby and the restaurant. However, there was a great the view of the city from the large window of the room.

We freshened up and went down to have a first experience of the city. We strolled around the area surrounding the hotel and interacted with a few locals and shopkeepers to gain some knowledge of how thing were. With everyone we interacted we felt a sense of inquisitiveness and connection they showed and overall the treatment meted was more of elderly brother. They considered us as if it was our own country, went out of ways to help, were eager to guide and were interested in conversing. It was after talking to them that every shop big or small across Nepal would accept Indian currency at a conversion rate of 1 INR to 1.6 NPR without hesitation. Though not technically allowed, in case you want as souvenirs or to make calculations easier they were willing to exchange some currency too. We picked up some snacks and returned to the room. As it was a special day, we ordered pizza from the hotel room service which came in soon. After the dinner we retired for the day looking forward to the five days of Enchanting Nepal ahead of us.


Next morning, we woke up relatively early and went down for the complimentary breakfast which had a decent spread of items. After the breakfast and calling home about our well-being we got ready for our day tour of the Kathmandu Valley. Kathmandu Valley is collective name given to the city along with surrounding suburban areas including those of Patan and Bhaktapur. The entire valley is kind of spiritual hub with multiple places of religious importance especially for Hindus and Buddhists. The Kathmandu valley has in all seven monuments / areas declared as world heritage sites which includes two temples (Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan), two Buddhist stupas (Swayambhunath and Boudhnath) and three historical palaces (Durbar Squares of Patan, Bhaktapur and Kathmandu). We had read a lot about these places as part of the preparation and were looking forward to have a taste of the country and were really happy to hear from the reception that our driver was there to pick us up. Our ride for the day was a 1990 model Toyota Corolla and was driven by a gentle guy Shukra who was friendly yet reserved.   

Our first stop for the day was Pashupatinath Mandir – The Shiva Temple - which is supposed to be one of the oldest temples and is visited by huge number of devotees from across the world to pay their homage. The temple because of large number of visitors is also called as “The Temple of Living Beings". Pashupatinath Temple, with its astonishing architectural beauty, stands as a symbol of faith, religion, culture and tradition. Regarded as the most sacred temple of Hindu Lord Shiva in the world, Pashupatinath Temple's existence dates back to 400 A.D. The richly-ornamented pagoda houses the sacred linga or phallic symbol of Lord Shiva and is situated beside the sacred Bagmati River. The courtyard of temple is also a renowned cremation site for Hindus. One interesting thing that we learned here was that the police force has a special group established to ensure security for temples which probably highlight the history of the country as a declared Hindu state. We picked up a souvenier at this site which was a five faced idol of Lord Shiva – the original idol is four faced and additional face is put up during aarti which marks the prayer time. On our way out we also witnessed the Batsleshwari Mai yatra – a procession where devotees sang hymns, chanted slogans and danced behind the deity’s idol mounted on a vehicle.

Next place we visited was the Boudhnath Stupa (entry fee of 40 NPR) which is one of the most important places of pilgrimage for Buddhists and is located amongst the hills which seem to form a natural mandala - store of sacred energy. It is one of the largest and most important Buddhist monuments across the world and in old days when trade routes to Tibet were open, traders and travelers prayed for safe passage across the mountain passes and gave thanksgiving on their return. Nowadays, the stupa towers over a small Tamang village which houses large number of Tibetan refugees. The main dome of the stupa is approximately 120 feet in diameter, 1 hectare in width and 43 meters in height. Within the area there were a few Gumbas – large rotating cylinders – which catch your fancy. The area around the stupa’s circumference has been developed as a market for souvenir. We had been out for a while and it was time for some quick snacks. A small restaurant called Flavors caught our attention because of Lonely Planet recommendation board and we chose it for the break. It did not disappoint up with its friendly though a bit slow service. 

This was followed with a visit to Swayambhunath Stupa also called the Monkey Temple which was another site of religious importance for Buddhists. Reaching this stupa involved an effort of climbing up more than 350 stairs but it was all worth it. Tourists like us may not have so much interest in the history and significance of the monument but the splendid view of the Kathmandu city was definitely something to look out for. The nickname of being a Monkey Temple was further strengthened by presence of hundreds of monkeys around the premises with a small pond for themselves designated as swimming pool for monkeys. Before climbing back down from the place, we bought singing bowl, a metallic bowl which produces various tones of sound suing a wooden stick and if properly concentrated, you could create a resonance effect which increases the tones based on how long you remain concentrated. We had seen this a-lot through various stops and were really intrigued so buying that was definitely on our list by now.

Next on the itinerary was the Hanuman-dhoka Durbar Square (entry ticket of 150 NPR). Located at heart of the city, it is a complex of beautiful temples and shrines important from Hindu and Buddhist cultures. Most of these are built in pagoda style and are embellished with intricately carved exteriors. Two of the things that caught our attention were the Durbar Museum (the palace) and Kumari Ghar. The palace was the residence and seat of administrative power in ancient time when king ruled the country and houses a lot of collection of things used by the rulers including those of the King Tribhuvan. The second place Kumari Ghar was much more intriguing though. This was a big brick building on Durbar Square and houses the Kumari - living goddess of Kathmandu. There are about 11 kumaris across Nepal, but the Kumari Devi (or Raj Kumari - royal goddess) in Kathmandu is the most important. There is a well laid out process for choosing a Kumari which is followed religiously. A 3-5 year old girl is chosen after confirmation of 32 specific signs of spirituality, matching of horoscope with that of present king and assurance of her bravery by placing in a room full of freshly severed buffalo heads. The girl thus chosen stays in this house being worshiped as a living goddess and all needs of hers along with her handlers are paid in full by the government. Besides for religious ceremonies and yatras, she only leaves the place on attaining puberty and returns back to her mortal life.

We followed this with a walk through the freak street which extended further to a visit to the Thamel area which is kind of a tourist hotspot. By then we already had lived a very long day and headed back to the hotel. Next morning we left the city for Pokhara, our next destination which was a promise of natural serenity and formed second leg of our journey. 

We visited Kathmandu again on our way back and spent a day. This time we had decided to tour the city on our own and experience the life in general. We visited several malls across the town especially those on the Durbar Marg and were pretty surprised that amidst the impression of this weak economy affluence was evident in certain sections. On this endeavor we also had a chance to put our hands on most awesome momos I have ever tasted. We also got chance to visit the China Town, which one could relate to any similar part of town in many European and American cities. After this mall-hopping, we realized it was finally time to big good bye to this visit. We came back to the hotel, packed and left for airport. After 6 days of non-stop fun and travelling we were back at airport to board our flight back to Delhi on 3rd of April.

Publisher: Unknown - 04:43

We communicate more than what we say

We have all faced instances when we have wondered if a person really means what he is saying. This is because they fail to back up their words by their actions. This thought made me delve more into the subject after which I did some research to realize that actions do in-fact talk louder than the words in more sense than one.

Communication consists of three major elements. The words we use, our tone of voice and our body language. According to a research, the total impact of our communication consists of words (7%), Tone of voice (38%) and body language (55%). For an effective communication to take place, all three parts of the message must be congruent and consistent with each other.

Body Language or “Kinesics” is the study of nonverbal communication. Body language is a combination of eye movement, body orientation, hand movement, head position, and leg activity. When messages from all these parts are combined there is a lot ones body speaks. Although not an exact science, the serious student of body language can gain an extraordinary advantage in both social and professional situations. The idea that certain forms of nonverbal communication are universal to all humans dates all the way back to Darwin – documenting that interest in body language goes as far back as the early 1800’s.

In more recent times, interest in body language first gained popularity in the early 1970s when Fast wrote the pivotal book, appropriately titled “Body Language”. Since then, it has gone on to become the topic of dozens of books and a specialty subject of psychologists around the globe.

Well-chosen language, said in the right way and with body language that is congruent, can touch the heart and soul, find a common ground, tear down walls of division, foster powerful new relationships and move people to take action. If there is lack of congruency, the receiver will be confused and will have a tendency to accept the predominant form of communication rather than simply the literal meaning or words.

For example, someone can say, “I love you very much.” However, the tone of voice can dramatically distort the meaning of these words. By placing an emphasis on different words or by “coloring” the statement with emotion rather than making it cold and distant, the meaning of these words can change significantly.

Some major components of communication can be highlighted as below –

• Body movements and posture
• Eye behavior
• Facial expressions
• Space 
• Touch
• Para-verbal/ Paralanguage
• Verbal communication

7 Cs of Communication

Effective communication, hence, can be considered to be hinged on what many call as 7 C’s of communication. These have been listed below.

• Completeness - Message is complete when it contain all the facts the reader or the listener need for the reaction you desired.
• Benefits.
• Achieving desired result without further expense on messages.
• Building goodwill.
• Turn away costly Law suit.
• How to apply
• Answering Five W’s – what, why, who, when, where
• In reply of inquiry, answering all questions.
• Give something extra, when desirable.
• Conciseness - It means to be point not brief but in fewest possible word or relevant according to subject matter.
• Benefits
• Save time and Expense.
• How to apply 
• Eliminate wordy expression.
• Include only relevant material. (Avoid long intro, unnecessary explanation, excessive adjective, phrases)
• Avoid unnecessary repetition.
• Concreteness - It means be very clear in thought and expression and must base on facts and figure during writing a message. 
• How to apply
• Use specific facts and figures.
• Put action in your verbs.
• Choose vivid, image –building words. 
• Clarity - Using words that familiar to the message of receiver. 
• How to apply
• Choose precise, concrete and familiar words.
• Construct effective sentences and paragraphs.
• Courtesy - Being aware not only of the perspective of others, but also their feeling. It stems from sincere you-attitude.
• How to apply
• Be Sincerely, Tactful, Thoughtful and Appreciative
• Use expression that shows respect.
• Choose non-discriminatory expression.
• Correctness - It is proper check on grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Furthermore it is important to ensure that information in the message is factually correct.
• How to apply
• Use right level of language.
• Check accuracy of figures, facts & words.
• Maintain acceptable writing mechanics.
• Consideration – This involves putting yourself in their place. Focus on “you” in place of “I” or “we”.
• How to apply
• Stress the positive in your message.
• Focus on you attitude instead of I.
• Show audience benefits or interest in the receiver.
• Emphasis positive and pleasant fact.

I guess this all just forms theory and many of you are already wondering of what it means for you. I would agree with whoever says that I have not followed most basic concepts of presentations and reports by not providing how to actually put to use. I fully intent to continue working on this research and identify something which would apparently be more "valuable" for you as a reader !!

So keep signing in and watch out for more that is yet to come.

Publisher: Unknown - 04:01

In the lap of Aravallis - Mount Abu

It was during my summer breaks during under-graduation. I was visiting home during May 2007 for my semester breaks.That summer I had the opportunity to revisit the pinnacle of Rajasthan - The Mount Abu. One of those usual futile days at home during the semester breaks - I was flipping through boring magazines and trying changing those useless channels. Finally i abnegated to the idea of finding a solution to my idleness. I was soon to be lost in my usual daydreaming sessions when my sequence of thoughts was interrupted by the acrimonious sound of the doorbell - Dad was home after office. Seeing the dismal look on my face I had at the moment he quite understood that his words would definitely be welcomed by me and guess what he wasn't wrong. After having the customary snacks he broke the suspense. Dad had to go on tour to Mount Abu and he had planned for all of us to go with him too....Wow...Wasn’t that great!! And When??? The next day... After all those hurried preparations we were on the train to commence our journey. And yeah the journey itself was fun being in one of those royal saloons that dad gets for his trips.

After an overnight journey in the luxury of the saloon we reach our base camp – a small town called Abu Road. It is the last train head before the road journey begins. Landing in the city was enough to bring back the memories of those old times when this was home for me. Those three years of our stay in Abu Road cannot be easily forgotten. The next two days of my life were absolutely full of fun and masti. After a light breakfast and freshening up we embarked on climbing up the slopes of our destination.
The place really has something exceptional to offer to everyone I don't even remember how many times I have visited the place but every-time I visit, the vivid serenity and mesmerizing beauty offers a thoroughly refreshing experience. The spellbinding surroundings you find around you are sure to engulf you in a feeling of tranquilization. One of the few, or probably the only, hill station in the desert state of Rajasthan, Mount Abu is situated at height of around 1200 meters above sea level. The attraction of mount is not only as a hill station but the fact that the place has witnessed various memorable instances of history give it a special importance in itself. And what is there that the place lacks...The grandeur of Delwaras , the state of repose at Peace Park, the devotion at Bharamkumaris' and the adventure of climbing to the acme of the state, Guru Shikhar, everything is so be-charming. It’s here that you reckon the adages describing nature as an actuation of writers and acquiesce in to their aptness and believe me this isn't mere adulation.
Well let’s cover things one by one. Our first destination at the hill city was the Guest house. It’s no less than a picnic spot in itself but that description is for a bit later. We are here in Mount Abu and there is no time to waste. We relax a bit and start onto the first spot to be covered. It was the Delwaras – famous Jain temples. The entire structure is a combination of five different temples based on five Jain Tirthankaras. Built before 13th century AD, marble walls with fine carvings and amazing architectures in the temple offer a marvelous picture of human craftsmanship. Outside the temple, we witnesses special art in people to write our names on a rice beans. It was late evening by the time we were done with the temples and hence we headed straight to the sunset point.  The place situated at a high point provided an awesome view of the sun setting behind the Aravalis into the river Banas.
After this, we were back to the guest house for a quick dinner and then visited a man made lake – the Nakki Lake. It is believed that the lake was dug by humans using their nails. We enjoyed a good boating in the lake which itself was quite refreshing. Tod Rock – a frog shaped rock over a peak was visible in the night light.  This was end of our day and we retired to have some rest before another day of enjoyment.
We woke up early, next morning, to enjoy the cool mornings at the guest house. It was beautifully maintained place with sprawling green gardens and a few kid-rides. After breakfast, we visited the 2500 year old Achaleshwar Mahadev temple. The temple is famous for the worship of God Shiva’s toe and the five metal idol of Nandi – God Shiva’s carrier. The holy pond nearby has idols of three bullocks which have a story of their own. The fluency of the story of small kids around the place is simply attention grabbing.
Next on our list was the Guru Shikhar, the highest peak of Rajasthan with a height over 1700 meters above sea level. After a tiring climb up the stairs we were there at the top and the feeling was awesome. There was a small cave temple there and a big bell to ring. We stayed there enjoying the cool breeze and then climbed down.
But advent of everything is always paired with its extinction. Our happy days were there to end too. We lived there for two days and at least for the time being that was really a worth remembering part of my summer breaks. And that’s why I have here written this blog to refresh those wonderful moments in my memory. Hope you people too could trace some hints of the exquisiteness that this hill station has on offer. Keep waiting for more and revisiting the page… 

Publisher: Unknown - 13:49